Academy Primary School pupils do the Challenge 26 while staff and parents prepare run the Belfast Marathon in relays to raise funds for new pod
It’s all go at Saintfield’s Academy Primary School this week as staff and parents finish the final stages of their preparations for the Belfast Marathon on Sunday 6th May.
And pupils are not running in the race but they too have been very active in doing their Challenge 26 every day from pre-school through to the P7 classes. This involves a series of get fit and fun exercises they do routinely each day… the whole school !
Chairperson of the Parents’ and Teachers Association, Emma Maguire, said: “Everyone has been very good and is training well. We are keen to raise funds in a series of fundraisers to buy a multi-functional pod for our school.
“This hub will be a quiet place for those pupils who need that space, or for those with special needs. It can double up top for small groups of pupils or a small music room and will be basically multi-functional.
“The six staff and some parents are running in teams of three relays and we hope to raise sufficient funds to meet our target by September when we will hand the funds over to the school.
“We are looking forward to the Belfast Marathon – it will be a challenge for some but benefits for this cause will be great so I expect we will all make it ok over the line on Sunday 5th May.
“This marathon has been a big push for us in the PTA and we have the whole school behind us on Challenge 26. It’s amazing. The children have been so good doing their exercises every day. They even have two treadmills out in the front of the school each day.
The pupils will have their own sponsor sheets and the staff and parents are collecting funds on their JustGiving page.
“The PTA is a registered charity and is working hard to make the dream of a pod for the school come true.”
School Principal Richard Fagan said: “Academy Primary and Nursery School, Saintfield have a staff team and two parent teams running the Belfast Marathon this year to help raise money to purchase a ‘nurture and well-being pod’.
“Our school is bursting at the seams and we have no additional rooms for outreach teachers, school counsellors and peripatetic teachers.
“We would also love the pod to be used as a ‘nurture’ room for those children who need emotional support.
“The lack of central funding for schools is well documented in the news and social media and I am delighted and unbelievably proud of our school community and in particular our dedicated Parent Teacher Association.
“They continually pull together and fundraise to ensure our pupils have the most up-to date resources, equipping them for the ever- changing world around us.”
You can support the Academy Primary School’s three relay teams running in the Belfast Marathon on Sunday 5th May on their JustGiving page here or simply make a donation at the school.
